Christmas II at Christ Church 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in Old Brick 9:00 a.m. Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist in New Brick Sunday School, Adult Forum, and all other formation classes are off this Sunday, and will return next weekend, on January 11, 2026. Collect for Today: O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Luke 2:41-52 Psalm 84:1-8 Sermon for This Sunday: The Reverend Emmanuel Ato Mercer delivers today's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once the service starts. You can also read his sermon's text here . Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins at approximately 10:20 a.m. this Sunday. The service leaflet for this worship service is here .

We all know that it's the time of year when we make New Year's resolutions - and we also know how difficult it can be to maintain them - so let's try and make it a little easier to do so. Jane Adams, Christ Church parishioner and certified instructor, will be teaching a basic exercise class at Christ Church this month, a way to comfortably and safely get your body accustomed to a path of fitness and good health. She will provide resistance bands and all other accessories needed for this hour-long session; all you need to do is wear comfortable sportswear and sneakers, and bring a bottle of water. Gather with us this Saturday morning, January 3rd at 10:30 in the lower level of New Brick, and get started on the road of exercise. You'll be able to do so under the leadership of a professional who can help you listen and respect your body's sensations, adjusting your practice without forcing things. With consistent exercise, your physical and mental abilities will naturally and steadily improve.  We hope to see you tomorrow, January 3, in Christ Church's New Brick building - 6800 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 21045. #exercise #resolutions #newyearsresolution #fitness #loveyourbody #columbiamaryland #exercise2026

Join seekers of a deeper relationship with the Divine at the 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment. CSN offers free experiences for the community that engage the mind, body, and spirit by offering safe spaces to explore an array of opportunities for spiritual growth. This special gathering is for anyone interested in spiritual nourishment, regardless of religious affiliation or spiritual beliefs. Come for one session or the entire morning; our tentative schedule is below. As we begin the new year, consider taking a break from the chaos and treating yourself to a peaceful morning in a soul-nurturing community. The 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment (CSN) provides opportunities for us to be in a closer relationship with God by offering an array of experiences that engage the mind, body, and spirit. Programs for January center around the theme Sacred Visioning  and include a Conversation on Spiritual Practices, Spiritual Direction, Meditation, a film screening of Flywheel , and Sacred Art. If you want to learn more about future Center for Spiritual Nourishment events, submit your email address below to receive regularly updated information (we will not share or sell your address to anyone). Whether you've joined us before or are a first-timer, we are sure that there's something special waiting for you here. Everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you there! Schedule of Events: 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast and social time 9:00 - 9:10: Outline the day's sessions 9:10 – 10:05: Sacred Visioning                     Spiritual Direction Group                    Drawn to God: Praying Through Art 9:10 – 11:15: Film screening: Flywheel 10:15 – 11:15: Christian Meditation · Contemplative Christianity                       Home and Spirit: Preparing for the Journey                      Spiritual Direction Group 11:30 – 11:50: Reflection Circle Join us on Saturday, January 10 as we offer: Spiritual Direction Group led by Carol Abbott In this spiritual discernment and direction group we practice listening deeply to each other using prompts from scripture, poetry, nature, and our bodies. These practices are designed to help us notice and respond to the voice of the Holy moving in our lives. Drawn to God: Praying Through Art led by Jenn Lavanish, Mike Looney, &/or Leah Chrest God gave everyone a gift - a special aptitude, ability, power or talent. And gifts are meant to be an act. A verb  - to bestow, share and connect. Drawn to God  is a place for spiritual nourishment through the practice of creating.  Creating ways to engage with God. A short session of fellowship in process oriented art projects. Art as Prayer and Prayer as Art. No matter what gifts or talents you bring, you will be inspired to become a maker- and enjoy a moment of creative flow. Plus it is just fun to make things. The joy is in the journey, your creation your reward. Film Screening: Flywheel led by George Toth When the Sinner Repents, Blessings Follow - Jay Austin wants to sell you a used car, but watch out! Many victims have fallen prey to his smiling face and hasty promises. Austin does everything his way until his dishonesty and manipulation are repeatedly exposed. Like many men, the masks he wears and the lies he tells disgust him. While having a classic convertible repaired, Austin begins a humorous and powerful journey to win back the hearts of his wife, his son and his community. In every man's life, there can be a turning point. Jay Austin takes it, and he never looks back. We may never walk a path similar to Jay, but we will all have to choose how to lead our lives. The result of our labors and lived lives with be a testament to the fact that “You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16) Sacred Visioning led by Toni Summerell We often limit ourselves in our vision of how we believe our lives can go.  God’s vision is much larger than ours.  In this remarkable session, you will learn techniques to imagine and envision what God is calling you to build in your life.  Tools such as vision boards, guided meditation, and other discernment practices will be discussed.   Home and Spirit : Preparing for the Journey led by Michael Looney As we move into the New Year and the season of Epiphany, it is a great time to consider making a sacred space in our home for our spiritual practices and using the Blessing of a Home liturgy to prepare our homes. In addition to preparing our physical home we will also work to prepare our spiritual home (ourselves) with a breathing exercise for centering and preparing for prayer. Contemplative Meditation led by Leah Chrest Discover the desire God has to commune with us and how to inwardly attune ourselves to the Spirit's voice.  This month, learn how listening with the heart provides clearer direction than thinking with the mind.  Practice drawing focus into your heart center and listening to divine guidance as you step into the new year.  In a mixture of teaching, discussion, and practice, strengthen your ability to engage in the equally important side of the conversation with God--if prayer is talking to the Lord, meditation is listening to God’s voice, and being changed by God’s presence. Have Questions? Wish to Help Lead Future CSN Sessions?   #nourishyourspirit   #SpiritualNourishment   #allarewelcome   #RefreshYourSpirit   #refreshyourspirit   #hocomd   #episcomd   #columbiamd   #columbiamaryland

Happy New Year, to everyone both near and far! Let us enter this new year with the love that God has given to us, and pray that God’s steadfast love and faithfulness sustain us as we carry out Christ Church's 2026 Spiritual Life Theme - "Building Relationships through LOVE"   #buildingrelationships   #episcomd   #hocomd   #episcopalchurch   #Godslove   #ourlove   #helpothers

Christ Church Helps Disabled Residents of Philip’s House in Uganda Gain Christmas Cheer, a Brighter New Year Christ Church continues to support the disabled residents of Philip’s House, which operates on such a tight budget that its Christmas celebration would have been impossible without your generosity. Thank you! The Outreach Commission in November approved sending $800 of Vestry-approved funds to support the home in Kampala, Uganda. Of these funds, $500 was designated for the annual Christmas party, which included a special meal and gifts for the disabled residents. The remaining $300 is to purchase pharmacy supplies, such as anti-malaria medicines. The donation to the Hoffman Family Foundation , which oversees Philip’s House operations, was derived from funds contributed to Christ Church by parishioners. A hearty thanks! This is in keeping with the mission of the Outreach Commission to support organizations – local, national, and international – that enhance the lives of people in need. The founder of Philip’s House, Jan Smart, is a close family friend of CEC parishioners Teddy and Sonni Aribiah, and their sons, Jonah and Luke. Jan established the home as a memorial to her late brother, Philip, who was disabled. It is located on the grounds of an orphanage where Teddy grew up, and that the Aribiah family visited last summer, spending time at Philip’s House with its children and adults. During the pandemic, Christ Church made a strategic contribution of $1,770 that helps residents to this day. It was Summer 2020, when lockdowns had threatened a reliable food supply. Staff members used our funds to build a sturdy garden fence. Ever since, they no longer fear losing their home-grown produce to theft or animals. Teddy and Sonni continue to update us about developments at Philip’s House, which in recent years has benefited from an in-house clinic. It is run by a pharmacist whose education was made possible by his sponsor, Jan, the Philip’s House founder. CCC Resumes Operations After Taking a Holiday Break Columbia Community Care (CCC) has announced that after shutting down operations for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, it will reopen on Saturday, Jan. 3. The three distribution sites are located at Long Reach Village Center, Suite 107, 8775 Cloudleap Ct., Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., and The Barn at Oakland Mills Village Center, 5853 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia, MD. Hours are 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or while supplies last. People who require home deliveries should " Get Help " on CCC’s website to make a request. MOCC's Comfort Cases Donation Drive - FINAL DAYS! Thanks to everyone who has already contributed to the MOCC's current R.A.K. ( Random Act of Kindness ), supporting Comfort Cases. In our country today, the number of kids entering the foster care system is steadily rising, and that's where Comfort Cases come in - they're a small duffel bag or backpack designed to provide a bit of comfort for youth as they enter the local foster care system. Every donation aims to provide comfort to those who are experiencing this firsthand. The MOCC is accepting donations from now through January 10th, and you can see a donation bin in the Narthex. You can also speak with Duane Smith or any MOCC member to get more information about Comfort Cases. We are also taking donations for Comfort Cases at this Saturday's Christmas Dinner, so if you're coming, we hope that you'll consider bringing something to help this cause. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org . Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Christmas I at Christ Church 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in Old Brick 9:00 a.m. Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist in New Brick Sunday School, Adult Forum, and all other formation classes are off this Sunday, and will return next weekend, on January 8, 2026. Collect for Today: Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 John 1:1-18 Psalm 147:13-21 Sermon for This Sunday: The Reverend Emmanuel Ato Mercer delivers today's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once the service starts. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins at approximately 10:20 a.m. this Sunday. The service leaflet for this worship service is here .

With Christmas around the corner, these beautiful Advent poems written by parishioner and poet, Pamela Pruitt, have taken on even more wonderful significance and provided power over the entire season. Thank you for being so willing to share your art with us, Pam. You can find all of them on our website, Instagram, and Facebook, and we hope you have found them restorative, comforting, and inspirational throughout this Advent season. #adventpoem   #poems   #episcomd   #hocomd   #poetrylovers   #poetry   #poetryislife   #poetryoftheday

It's been two thousand years since the night that shepherds watched their flocks and an angel appeared to them with the message of the good news of a Savior’s birth. It's been over two thousand years since God directly intervened in human history, with majesty and mystery. The world since then has been daily transformed by ordinary people who have felt themselves transformed and their lives saved by the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel’s joy rests in the fact that each and every person who has felt deep within themselves the life-giving message of the good news has not only held on tightly to it, but recognized the incredible responsibility to proclaim the same good news and passed it on to others, just so they might also experience the saving grace inherent in the gospel. For us, we hold the rope of the gospel because we can bear witness to the power in that rope. We hold the rope because we can bear witness to the grace of the gospel. We hold the rope because our lives depend on the gospel. There’s a story of William Carey, a Baptist Minister and Missioner. William went to India in 1792 and “Saw his mission as a miner penetrating a deep mine that had never been explored, with no one to guide. He said to  Andrew Fuller , John Ryland, and his other pastor friends: “I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” And John Ryland reports: “He took an oath from each of us, at the mouth of the pit, to this effect—that ‘while we lived, we should never let go of the rope.’” To understand the story of William and his friends, all of whom were zealous for the Lord, is to understand that the deep mine which is referenced in the paragraph above was used metaphorically to depict the extent of the mission of evangelization in India. To understand them is to understand the burning desire to share the gospel, despite any challenges of the deep mine. The gift they could give each other was to hold the rope. Remember Jesus' words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” But however few in number that the laborers may be, the gospel is like a matchstick; as little as it is, it can burn an entire forest with its light. That is to say, that we only count on the zeal of those who believe themselves to have been transformed by the saving grace of the gospel to light the darkness of our paths with the flaming torch of the gospel. But, to do that, we must hold the rope. If you have ever been to a Passover Seder, one of the profound experiences you would notice is that, during the meal, four questions, known as Ma Nishtana, are asked. The questions are: What makes this night different from all [other] nights? 1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice? 2) On all nights we eat  chametz  or  matzah , and on this night only matzah? 3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night  maror ? 4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all  recline ? These questions, typically asked by the youngest among the group gathered to share in the Seder feast, are meant to provide an opportunity to recount the unique history that formed and shaped their identity as a people and wove it into a rope. The point of these questions is for everyone, including children, to know the rope so they can hold it. To understand these traditions is to know the rope. And the best part is to hold it. To lose it is to lose your identity. As Christians, we gather at this time of the year to hear the stories that gave birth to our tradition and which inform our embrace of the good news. The stories we hear transcend space and time and reveal the glory of God. The stories that we hear tell of God’s purposes for all the peoples of the earth and God’s desire to renew the world. The stories we hear tell of God’s deep humility and of God’s disposition of love. These stories have not only been woven into our lives, but they shape our lives, they guide us, they inspire and motivate us, and they drive us to do the best that we can for our fellow men and women. These stories take us on a journey of love, joy, peace, and hope. And “Hope”, according to St. Augustine of Hippo, “has two beautiful daughters, their names are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to make sure that things don’t remain the same as they are.” The fact is, you must care about the world and love the people in it enough to make the change that the world needs. And so, at Christmas, we celebrate the God who was angry at the way things have been and yet loved the world so much that God assumed human flesh to change the way things are. Things don’t have to be the same. Listen to the Prophet Isaiah: The wolf will live with the lamb,     the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together;     and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear,     their young will lie down together,     and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den,     and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy     on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord     as the waters cover the sea. When we Hold The Rope , we are committing ourselves to the idea that things don’t have to remain the same. When we Hold The Rope, we affirm the Christmas message that the Prophet Isaiah’s vision is still possible. When we Hold the Rope , we embrace this quiet confidence in this belief, that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to turn things around. When we Hold The Rope , we connect ourselves with the past, and we bind ourselves to the future of God. When we Hold The Rope , we commit ourselves to the self-sacrificing love that unites us with God and God with us. As we welcome the Christ child into our world and into our midst this Christmas, we rejoice over such a wonderful gift. In our joyous celebrations with family, friends and even strangers, may we never forget that we are drawn to the greatest story ever told by a love that binds us like a rope unto itself. And that is precisely why I Hold The Rope .   I wish you all the very best of the season. Merry Christmas.  Manny+

Christ Church on Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 24 Christmas Pageant at 4:00 p.m. in New Brick Holy Eucharist at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. in the New Brick Sanctuary and via the CEC website , Facebook, and YouTube Our incredible youth are featured in the 4:00 Christmas Eve worship, a family service that includes a live Nativity. They each have a role and began rehearsals, so join us on Wednesday afternoon, December 24th, to see their wonderful telling of this beautiful story. That evening, our excellent choir and instrumentalists will lead the seasonal music presentation before both uplifting evening services, so arrive at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. to grab great seats and join us as we celebrate in joyous song! Worship begins at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Celebrate Christmas Day Thursday, December 25 at 10:00 a.m. in the New Brick Sanctuary and livestreamed on  the CEC website , Facebook, and YouTube Christmas Day Eucharist is a truly wonderful service, and in 2025 it takes place in the Sanctuary of New Brick. And so, as the hymnist suggested...  “Come and worship… worship Christ, the new-born King!”

As we begin Christmas week, these beautiful Advent poems written by parishioner and poet, Pamela Pruitt, take on more significance and power. You can view them on our website, Instagram, and Facebook, and we hope you find them restorative, comforting, and inspirational. We are so grateful for Pam and her willingness to share her art with us. #adventpoem   #poems   #episcomd   #hocomd   #poetrylovers   #poetry   #poetryislife   #poetryoftheday